Dear friends and readers, Last week I made it to Norway, my final country after more than a decade of going everywhere. Such an occasion deserved to be shared, so that’s just what we did. First, a group of 16 friends, family members, and readers joined Jolie and me for a two-day tour from Oslo…

Greetings from the road to Anchorage, Alaska—or actually the sky, since it’s a long drive to Anchorage for most of us. Last week we had a real-time experiment where I invited readers to offer something for free. We received hundreds of submissions, many of them in the comments thread of the original post and many…

Dear Readers and Amazing People, Greetings from Austin, Texas. I had a fun time yesterday with many SXSW attendees and residents of this great city. Special thanks to BookPeople for hosting, to Betty Jean for coordinating a large amount of beer and cupcakes, and to everyone who showed up. Life is good and I’ll be…

The problem is that you want a new life, or at least some kind of substantive change. You look at what you have, what you do, or who you are, and you long for something else. It may be a problem of the fortunate, in the sense that you don’t have to worry about what…

I’m back on the road, talking with interesting people every night. Many of them ask questions about “changing the system.” Everyone agrees it’s broken and frustration is expressed all around. But what is this system, why isn’t it working, and how can we change it? When we talk about “the system” we are talking about…

1. To wake in the morning full of life and energy, awaiting the day with anticipation and purpose. To step out into the world ready to accomplish a significant task. To engage and initiate instead of merely responding. To take the active choice that you will make something happen. 2. To maintain harmony and goodwill…

The words we use matter. Here are some examples of words or phrases that are especially powerful. Once upon a time. The most powerful words in storytelling. No matter how long the story goes, or how complex it becomes, every story has a beginning. You. Because in business or in life, the more you can…

For me, everything began with the notion of freedom—the ability to determine the course of my daily schedule and overall life direction. I was very motivated by the opportunity to decide for myself. A normal job didn’t fit into those parameters, so I did everything I could to create my own employment and well-being. But…

A long time ago, I was a jazz musician. I listened to Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans. I loved what they had done for the jazz world, and for the joy of music in general. If only I practiced or memorized enough, I thought, I might not be an original, but I could at least…

“The reward for conformity,” Rita Mae Brown said, “is that everyone likes you but yourself.” Thankfully, it’s not always quite that bad. Things are super busy here at World Domination HQ. I’m getting ready to roll out a book tour schedule, a book trailer, a giveaway for 100 free books, and several other fun things.…

Greetings Friends, Readers, and Awesome People of AONC, Today I’m excited to announce the upcoming launch of my new book, THE $100 STARTUP. This has been a labor of love for a long time, and I’m looking forward to having it out in the world starting May 8, 2012. What It’s All About The goal…

People will take over your life if you let them. How do they do it? Step 1: They begin by taking over your time. “This will only take a minute…” “Can we have a quick call to discuss…” “We’d like to get your input on…” When they send a message in one place to say…

This article doesn’t have much to do with travel hacking or unconventional work. And in fact, it will only apply to a minority of the people who read it. If you’ve always had a great life and nothing truly unfair has ever happened to you, feel free to skip this one. There’s lots of other…

A long time ago, I sent a thick packet of information to Yale, explaining in considerable detail how awesome I was and why they should accept the honor of my giving them tens of thousands of dollars a year. They sent me back a short, polite letter, saying that while they were happy to accept…

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About Chris Guillebeau

Welcome to The Art of Non-Conformity, a home for remarkable people of all kinds. If you've ever felt like there must be more to life, this site is for you. I’m Chris Guillebeau, the author and publisher of the site.

From 2002-2013 I visited every country in the world and wrote about it on this blog. I’m still traveling to more than 20 countries each year. Along the way I share unconventional strategies and stories on Life, Work, and Travel.